Route 66 in the News
Oatman: Mining Town to Ghost Town
2004-09-01 16:13:07
Oatman, Ariz., on Route 66 is a living ghost town with a population around 150. A town becomes a living ghost town when its reason for formation no longer exists. Oatman's reason for being and its almost demise was the gold mines.
An African-American named Snowball discovered and staked a claim prior to the 20th century. Hearing of the discovery, miners flocked to the area and various mines were established. Snowball, Vivian, Gold Roads, Tom Reed, United Eastern and Big Jim were some of the mines that produced over 1.8 million ounces of gold during the Oatman area heydays.
Oatman was founded in 1906, named after Olive Oatman, who was ransomed by the U.S. Army after a year of captivity among American Indians.
Royce and Mary Oatman had decided a move to the New Mexico Territory would be better for Royce's health after a farming accident.
In 1850, the Oatman family joined a wagon train in Independence, Mo., led by a former Latter-day Saints member, James C. Brewster. He had disagreed with the Salt Lake City leadership of Brigham Young and with fellow dissenters decided to travel to California.
On Aug. 9, 1850, 52 people journeyed further west under Brewster's leadership. In Santa Fe, N.M., more dissatisfaction occurred and the group split into two camps. Oatman and his fellow dissenters decided on the southern route.
Venturing further into New Mexico, the Oatman family decided the country and climate was not for them. They set out on their own despite warnings about hostile Indians. On their fourth day of solo travel Tonto-Apache Indians approached the family and demanded tobacco and food. The encounter escalated into violence. Royce, Mary and four of their seven children were killed near the Gila River. Olive, age 16, and Mary Ann, age 10, were taken captive. A son, Lorenzo, was clubbed and left for dead. Regaining consciousness, Lorenzo was tended by friendly Pima Indians and he eventually made his way to Fort Yuma.
Olive and Mary Ann were treated savagely by their captives. Olive was tattooed with five vertical stripes from her lower lip down her chin, announcing her slave status.
The girls were eventually sold to a Mojave tribe and treated kindly by their new owners. In 1853, famine struck the village and the frail Mary Ann did not survive.
With Lorenzo's prodding, the U.S. Army negotiated Olive's release near where the town of Oatman is now located. Olive's ransom was six pounds of white bread, four blankets and a white horse.
After her release, Olive continued her schooling and married a former Indian fighter, J.B. Fairchild. In 1872, Fairchild founded the City Bank in Sherman, Texas. Olive is buried in the West Hill Cemetery. She lived from 1837 to 1903 despite her terrifying childhood experience.
Oatman flourished during its boom years. The Durbin Hotel was built in 1902 with 2-foot-thick adobe walls. In 1919 a fire destroyed its interior, but in 1920 the building was repaired and renamed the Ox Yoke Inn. In the late 1960s the hotel's name was again changed to the Oatman Hotel.
The small upstairs rooms are furnished with period pieces. The chipped iron bed frames, quilts and dressers along with the creaking wooden floors and musty smell are from a bygone era. The Oatman Hotel is still in service and visitors can rent a room.
Hopefully Oatie, the resident ghost, won't scare visitors away. Oatie was from Ireland and actually lived in the Oatman Hotel until his death behind the hotel in 1930. His unnumbered room is between No. 19 and No. 20. Various photos in the hotel capture a spectral image some say is Oatie. Many believe Oatie is still at home in the hotel.
A famous couple spent their honeymoon at the Oatman Hotel and their room, behind a locked glass door, is a popular stopping point. On March 29, 1939, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were registered guests. They liked the solitude of the desert and Gable enjoyed playing cards with the local miners.
In 1924, the United Eastern Mine shut down. By the mid-1930s the gold boom was over and the various mining camps were claimed by the desert. In 1942 the last mine was closed, deemed non-essential to the war effort. People began moving away and businesses were closing. Oatman survived by catering to Route 66 travelers.
By the 1960s thanks to Interstate 40, Oatman's fate seemed doomed to join the ranks of deserted former mining towns. Local shop owners met the challenge and transformed their town into a point of interest. Local craft people sell their wares, knives, leather, jewelry, art and T-shirts in stores along the wooden boardwalks.
Walking tours are available at the Gold Road Mine. The tours are user friendly for the physically challenged.
The Gold Road Mine has been producing off and on for nearly 100 years and $2.25 million worth of gold has been reported taken from its depths.
The rustic town with its wooden and tin buildings and mining history isn't the only drawing card Oatman has to offer. When the prospectors mined the area, they brought along with them sure-footed burros. The burros earned their keep, hauling ore and rocks into the mines and water and supplies outside.
After the boom days, the prospectors left, releasing the burros to freedom from heavy loads, leaving them to fend for themselves. The burros did quite well on their own. Between Kingman and Havasu, Ariz., an estimated 600 wild burros roam.
Oatman residents are quite proud of the "town burros." There are 12 related burros who were born in the town area and make Oatman their home. Drivers must wait if a burro decides something in the middle of the one main street demands its attention. Shopkeepers sometimes have to shoo a nosy four-legged beast out of their store.
The town burros aren't afraid of people, but the visitors must realize that even though the animals are friendly and always looking for a tasty treat, they are wild animals. Burros have a hard time distinguishing carrots from fingers. A swift kick will be delivered if a burro feels threatened. Sometimes the jack (male dominating burro) will decide his "girls" have been in town long enough and when the burros are on the move, a visitor better "get on the move."
Local residents Eric and Johne Anderson of the Long Ears Rescue Ranch care for burros who need medical attention. At their small ranch, water and hay are available for any thirsty or hungry burro. The cost of helping a needy animal comes out of their pockets. No government agency reimburses the Andersons for rendering help when needed.
Oatman is located between Needles, Calif., and Bullhead City, Ariz., off of Highway 95 on the famous Route 66.
by Karen Wilson, for the Hi-Desert Star
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